A Tale of How a Swan's Curiosity Killed a Queen
by CarrotLucky13
Summary: Some say curiosity killed the cat, but this is a tale of the death of a Queen, or to be more precise the death of an Evil Queen, and how a Swan's curiosity killed her.


Part Two of SwanQueen Week 2016

Theme: The 7 Deadly Sins

Prompt: Gluttony

Summery: Some say curiosity killed the cat, but this is a tale of the death of a Queen, or to be more precise the death of an Evil Queen, and how a Swan's curiosity killed her.

I am _beyond_ exhausted today – Several times I have struggled to form a coherent sentence… That being said.. I HAVE HAD THE BEST NEWS EVER SO I AM ON CLOUD NINE! Hopefully I can catch up on some sleep tonight after my art group meets.

Showering gratitude at Cachedog, imperfectionisunderated and Perfectionlocated for their work betaing this fic! I love you all!

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 **A Tale of How a Swan's Curiosity Killed a Queen.**

'Curiosity is gluttony, to see is to devour' Victor Hugo.

If gluttony is defined as the overindulgence and overconsumption of anything to the point of waste, and can be interpreted as selfishness, then Emma Swan was gluttony personified.

Some say curiosity killed the cat, but this is a tale of the death of a Queen, or to be more precise the death of an Evil Queen, and how a Swan's curiosity killed her.

It was a little after dawn in Storybrooke and the gang had just got back from their winter vacation to hell, _literally_. Their journey had been long and arduous and had taken its toll on some more than others. The grass around the lake was damp with the early morning mildew, sparkling in the low midwinter sun. The air was bitingly cold, yet still more welcoming than the air of the underworld.

Though she didn't yet know it, the Evil Queen was just moments away from drawing her very last breath. Her death wouldn't come as a surprise to those who truly knew Regina Mills, those who had a place for her in their hearts. For them, the Queens death would not be a surprise; she had been dying for months, years even. At first the changes were small, the symptoms deniable, but with each day that had passed it had become ever more obvious.

To understand her death we must first travel back in time, to a different realm and a different life. The Evil Queen was a cold woman, devoid of compassion and of love. The only emotions she harbored were resentment and anger, fear and hated. The lidocane of her trauma filled life coursed through her veins anaesthetising her heartache of the death of her beloved Daniel, numbing the memory of the waking nightmare that was her marriage to the King. She would never be loved again; she would never be a mother. Without love all she had was hatred, hatred and revenge.

Emma selfishly pursued Regina's happiness, her redemption. If the Evil Queen could be redeemed for her atrocities, then maybe there was hope that she could be too. If Henry could forgive Regina's past and her lies, maybe he could forgive her for abandoning him. If people could see that Regina's life wasn't black and white, but a million shades of grey… If they could see that Emma tried but sometimes failed; if they didn't turn their back on her… Maybe they'd see she wasn't just a Savior, a perfect Princess, that she too would make mistakes, maybe they'd understand more when she did.

Emma couldn't help herself, curiosity got the better of her, and it always had. It was in her nature; she was inquisitive, a sheriff, a bail bonds person, a foster child. She had learnt from an early age how to read people, how to investigate; she had to in order to survive. In foster care your judgments were everything; one wrong word and you'd be bullied, get into a fight, fall in with the wrong crowd, get more chores or get tossed back into the system like a piece of trash.

Her curiosity with Mayor Mills was no different; she would be the perfect mystery to solve. At first it had been innocent enough, just professional intrigue coupled with concern for their son.

The night Emma had invited Regina to Granny's Dinner she had first noticed a real change, she had apologized with honest sincerity in her eyes. Emma should have seen it then, it had been written in her eyes- The Evil Queen was critical.

Regina changed even becoming the hero. The more her evil waned; the weaker she became. Her light magic was new, untamed and untested. The more she embraced the light the weaker she grew and the weaker she grew… well… the weaker _she_ grew.

As Emma overindulged in her hope and over consumed her belief in the Mayor, the dark magic within Regina began to fade to the point of waste, the prognosis terminal now.

Regina knew what was happening now She could feel it. She knew she couldn't run and she couldn't hide. Her fate was sealed and now it was a waiting game, one she often put to the back of her mind. The less she thought about it, the less she cared. Death came to them all eventually. Some would call it suicide, but Regina couldn't wait for death to come and claim the Evil Queen. She knew it was time because only in death would she find rest in peace.

There had been a moment of remission, the Snow Queen's curse, not hers this time. The Snow Queen's curse brought the Evil Queen to her former glory, she had risen, but not for long – Emma Swan was killing her quicker now. As the curse lifted she fell ever closer to the bony clutches of death, time was running out.

Regina feared she was too weak to fight both death and the Queens of Darkness but Emma believed in her and in doing so the Queens' fate had been sealed. Now it was just a waiting game, the sands of time were slipping between her fingers quicker now.

The night Emma, in place of Regina, had taken on the darkness, she tore out the last of the Evil Queen's life support, ripping the last hope from her body. Regina thought she'd have longer, longer to prepare for the inevitable; she wanted to scream at the Swan who was killing her. She accepted and even welcomed death, but she still feared it, death was so final.

Then they were off to hell. If she were to die, there was no better place. It would save Charon a trip to fetch her she supposed.

But Regina had returned from the underworld, against all odds, barely holding on, her death rattle mere moments away. Her knees grew weak; she fell to the cold wet ground, exhaustion and relief consuming her. Before her head hit the grass, however, it was in the arms of her Swan, her final resting place.

"I've got you Regina, I'll always have you."

Emma Swan light of her life smiled down at her as tears ran down her cheeks. Henry sat by her side holding her too. In the arms of the woman she loved and the son they shared, her final resting place. In that very moment the Evil Queen took her very last breath and all she left behind was Regina Mills; mother, Mayor, hero. The evil Queen was dead and Regina could finally start living.


End file.
